British Columbia's killer whale population can be divided into two distinct groups, based on where they travel, what they eat, and some slight physical differences. The two distinct groups, residents and transients, don't usually interact with each other. Residents: These whales generally travel in large pods of closely related individuals within predictable ranges and feed primarily on fish. The northern resident community patrols the waters off northern Vancouver Island and the mainland north coast as far as southeast Alaska. The northern resident community of whales includes the following nine pods: A1 Pod: A4 Pod: A5 Pod: B1 Pod: C1 Pod: D1 Pod: G1 Pod: I11 Pod: R1 Pod: A12 Subpod A11 Subpod A8 Subpod B7 Subpod C10 Subpod D7 Subpod G4 Subpod I11 Subpod R2 Subpod A36 Subpod A24 Subpod A9 Subpod . C6 Subpod D11 Subpod G16 Subpod . R9 Subpod A30 Subpod . A23 Subpod . . . G29 Subpod . . Click on any of the red subpods for more details. Transients: Transients,in smaller groups roam over large split areas of the coast, feeding on marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. Individual B.C. transients have been spotted as far away as western Alaska and the California coast. All B.C transients share a common dialect. Transients have a much looser social structure than residents and do not usually form large kinship groupings. The B.C. community of transients includes the following six groups: T2 Group T10 Group T12 Group T13 Group T21 Group T29 Group Click on any of the red groups for more details. All pictures and audio © Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre 1999 Adopt a Whale | Family Trees | Conservation |